Baum History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
France
Germany
Israel

Etymology of Baum

What does the name Baum mean?

The name Baum is a proud symbol of ancient Jewish culture. In the Biblical period, Jews, and members of all the ancient civilizations had no surnames. Before the late Middle Ages, people were known only by a single name. However, as populations increased and people began to both urbanize and travel more, it became necessary for people to adopt a second name to identify themselves. Jewish hereditary surnames were adopted from a variety of different sources. Two of the most common types of Jewish family names are patronymic surnames, which are derived from the father's given name (often prefixed by "ben" meaning 'son of'), and metronymic surnames, which are derived from the mother's given name. 1

The German word "baum" means tree (and Baum is also a common German Surname). The Jewish Baum was possibly a geographically based name for someone who lived near a tree, or was perhaps taken ornamentally. A different derivation suggests that this name is shortened from the word "Schlagbaum," meaning 'tollgate', and that the name was originally an occupational name for someone who worked collecting road tolls.

Baum Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Baum, Baumer, Baumm, Baume, Baumme, Baums, Baumb, Baumbe and many more.

Baum Ranking

In the United States, the name Baum is the 2,280^th most popular surname with an estimated 14,922 people with that name. 3

Baum migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Baum Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Sarah Baum, age 70, settled in America in 1709
Abram Baum, who landed in New York in 1709 4
Johan Baum, who landed in New York in 1709 4
Magdalina Baum, age 29, who settled in New York City in 1710
Mathias Baum, who landed in New York, NY in 1710 4
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Baum Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Sebastian Baum, who arrived in Puerto Rico in 1839 4
George Baum, aged 21, who arrived in Missouri in 1840 4
Frederick Baum, who landed in Mississippi in 1842 4
John Baum, who landed in Washington County, Pennsylvania in 1844 4
Rudolph Baum, aged 9, who landed in New York, NY in 1847 4
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Baum Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Abraham Baum, who arrived in North America in 1901 4
Frank Charles Baum, who landed in Wisconsin in 1920 4

Contemporary Notables of the name Baum (post 1700) +

Lyman Frank Baum (1856-1919), better known by his pen name L. Frank Baum, American writer and director, best known for penning The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, published in 1900
Ray Baum (1955-2018), American politician, Member of the Oregon State legislature
Paul Frank Baum (b. 1936), American mathematician, the Evan Pugh Professor of Mathematics at Pennsylvania State University
Friedrich Baum (1727-1777), German dragoon Lieutenant Colonel of Brunswick in British service during the American Revolutionary War
Walter Emerson Baum (1884-1956), American artist and educator
Roger Stanton Baum (b. 1938), American children's author
Frank Joslyn Baum (1883-1958), American lawyer, soldier, writer, and film producer
Edgar Schofield Baum (1916-2006), American artist
Bernie Baum (1929-1993), American songwriter who worked extensively with Elvis Presley
Gerhart Rudolf Baum (1932-2025), German politician, Federal Minister of the Interior (1978-1982)
... (Another 6 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Baum family +

Bismarck

Fritz Baum (1916-1941), German Funkmaat who served aboard the German Battleship Bismarck during World War II when it was sunk heading to France; he died in the sinking 5

Sources +

Weiss, Nelly. The Origin of Jewish family names: Morphology and History. Peter Lang AG, 2002. Digital
Weiss, Nelly. The origin of Jewish family names: morphology and history. Peter Lang AG, 2002. Digital
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Bismarck & Tirpitz Class - Crew List Bismarck. (Retrieved 2018, February 06). Retrieved from https://www.bismarck-class.dk/bismarck/crew/bismarck_crew.html#crew_details